Sunday

Across from the Children's Room at the Morse Institute Library, a powerful art exhibit remembers lives lost to opioid addiction.

NATICK – Helen Bellomo's life changed forever when she lost her son Nick to an opioid overdose.

“I will always have a broken heart,” Bellomo said, standing in front of artwork she created that hangs in the basement of the Morse Institute Library.

The collage includes pictures of Nick, including one in a kayak that highlights his love of the outdoors. Others capture Nick with his two brothers. Short notes written by his parents and brothers express emotions for Nick on the day of his funeral.

Nick suffered a fentanyl overdose on July 17, 2017. He was 24. The collage is one of 10 pieces in the exhibit. Each tells the story of a loved one who died of an opioid overdose or is currently in recovery.

The exhibit is on display through October and is sponsored by SOAR Natick (Supporting Outreach and Addiction Recovery), and The Journey, a support group in Natick for those who lost someone to drug addiction.

The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions through Art and Storytelling helped bring the exhibit to Natick. Artist Nancy Marks and physician Annie Brewster started The Opioid Project two years ago. The program gives families a creative outlet to share their stories of loss, raise awareness about opioid addiction and reduce its stigma. Go to theopioidproject.oncell.com to see the Natick art, and hear from the artists.

“I am one of the lucky ones,” Cathy Miles, the only artist in the Natick show who didn’t lose a loved one to opioid addiction, said as she stood in front of her collage. Her daughter, Amanda Miles, is in recovery.

A National Honor Society student and accomplished swimmer at Framingham High School, Miles went off to college and became addicted to opioids in her sophomore year.

The "catalyst," Cathy Miles said, was a man her daughter dated who used and sold drugs. After a five-year battle with addiction that included treatment in several rehabilitation facilities, Cathy Miles said her daughter came to her one day and said, "I want my life to be more than (an addiction)."

Clean for more than two years, Amanda Miles has a job and lives with a boyfriend she met in recovery.

Cathy Miles acknowledged feeling guilty that her daughter survived while others living with the demons of addiction didn't.

“It’s hard for me to be part of this group,” she said of the artists in the show, who met over the summer to share their stories. “I didn’t do anything special to be the lucky one.”

Bellomo lives with the daily pain of losing her son. Nick was the oldest of her three boys. He played football at Natick High School, and had many friends.

Things changed when his friends left for college. Nick stayed behind and hung around with the wrong crowd.

He was buying Percocet at $30 apiece, Bellomo said, and police contacted her after Nick stole her jewelry and tried to sell it at the Natick Mall.

Nick visited rehabilitation centers in Texas, Florida, and Maine, but there was always a relapse.

“It looked like Nick was doing so good,” Bellomo said as tears formed in her eyes, “… he had so much to live for.”

Bellomo and Miles shared a hug, and expressed why it’s important to tell their children's stories through art.

“I don’t want Nick’s legacy to die,” Bellomo said. “I want people to remember him for who he was, not for what took over him.”

“These young children are much more than their disease,” Miles said. “It’s really emotional to think about. It’s tragic.”

Follow Henry Schwan on Twitter @henrymetrowest. He can be reached at hschwan@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-3964